Citrix Systems uses Web analytics to boost business results

UNEXPECTED INSIGHTS

Web analytics have provided some unexpected insights. For example, using NetInsight, Citrix found sponsored links from Google and Yahoo were most effective. Four keywords drove 80% of registrations. Interestingly, those four were “software forum,” “IT conference,” “network security seminar” and “software presentation,” Zykoski said. “This is not what we would have projected, which is why analytics is such a great vehicle to show you facts about what is really happening,” she said.

The company redesigned its landing pages and minisites for Synergy to highlight those terms and optimized the sites to funnel visitors through to registration.

Web analytics showed that online ads, specifically banners on industry sites, had the highest cost per registration, Zykoski said. “In one case we spent $20,000 on a campaign and only received one registration [attributable to it],” she said. Knowing the effectiveness of different campaigns enabled Citrix to increase registrations while maintaining or even reducing its marketing spending.